AZE 001 / 0926 / OBS 042
Conviction / Sentencing / Arbitrary detention
Azerbaijan
9 September 2026
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Azerbaijan.
Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed about the conviction and sentencing of Mr Anar Mammadli, a Václav Havel Human Rights Prize Laureate and founder of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), who has worked for almost three decades to promote democratic participation, independent election observation and human rights in Azerbaijan.
On 7 September 2026, the Baku Court on Grave Crimes sentenced Mr Anar Mammadli to 13 years in prison and disqualified him from holding certain positions for three years on charges including currency smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion and money laundering. Mr Mammadli has been detained at the Baku Pre-Trial Detention pending transfer to a strict-regime correctional institution since April 2024. He has consistently denied the charges brought against him.
The Observatory recalls that Mr Mammadli was arrested on 29 April 2024, shortly after participating in international human rights advocacy activities at the UN Human Rights Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and following EMDS’s work monitoring the conduct of Azerbaijan’s presidential elections held on 7 February 2024. On 30 April 2024, the Khatai District Court of Baku ordered Mr Mammadli to be placed in pre-trial detention on charges of “smuggling by a group” under Article 206.3.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.
The Observatory underlines that, prior to his arrest, state-controlled media had subjected Mr Mammadli and EMDS to a sustained smear campaign following their independent election-monitoring activities. Mr Anar Mammadli was also previously sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2013 following his election-monitoring activities, before being released in 2016. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights%7D] found his detention politically motivated. His second arrest in 2024 and recent sentencing, which occurred shortly after the presidential elections, appear to constitute a further attempt to punish and silence his legitimate human rights activities.
The Observatory also recalls that the case of Mr Anar Mammadli is part of a broader crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists, media outlets and other independent civil society actors in Azerbaijan, particularly following the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2024.
The Observatory strongly condemns the conviction and the 13-year prison sentence imposed on Mr Mammadli, which are solely linked to his legitimate election-monitoring and human rights activities.
The Observatory calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him and all other human rights defenders and independent civil society actors detained for exercising their fundamental rights.
Please write to the authorities of Azerbaijan, asking them to:
– Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr Anar Mammadli and all human rights defenders in Azerbaijan;
– Immediately and unconditionally release Mr Anar Mammadli, and all human rights defenders in the country.
– Quash the conviction of Mr Anar Mammadli and all charges brought against him in connection with his legitimate human rights and election-monitoring activities;
– Adopt and implement all necessary measures to protect human rights defenders, ensuring they can carry out their peaceful and legitimate activities without fear of reprisals or undue restrictions.
Addresses:
• Mr Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Email: office@pa.gov.az
• Ms Mehriban Aliyeva, Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, X: @1VicePresident
• Mr Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, X: nk@nk.gov.az
• Mr Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, X: @Bayramov_Jeyhun
• Mr Farid Ahmadov, Minister of Justice of Azerbaijan, Email: fahmadov@ada.edu.az
• Ms Sabina Aliyeva, Ombudsman, Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan, Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.az
• H.E. Mr Rovshan Sadigbayli, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email:
geneva@mission.mfa.gov.az
• H.E. Mr Mammad Ahmadzada, Ambassador, Embassy of Azerbaijan to Belgium and the European Union, Brussels, Email: brussels@mission.mfa.gov.az
Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Azerbaijan in your respective countries.
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Geneva-Paris, 9 September 2026
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
• E-mail: alert@observatoryfordefenders.org
• Tel FIDH: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18
• Tel OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39
